27-year-old Penfield woman to open Caramel Bakery and Bar on Park Avenue

Brian Bauer of Kenmore, Erie County, has a special of giving thanks for the tips he receives at the Park Ave. Fest
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

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Waffle desserts made by Haley Shuman at the Park Avenue Festival. Shuman and her boyfriend are opening Caramel Bakery and Bar on Park Avenue next month, and will offer a waffle item (not pictured) on the bakery's brunch menu.(Photo11: Sarah Taddeo/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)Buy Photo

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Caramel Bakery and Bar will open on Park Avenue in mid-September.

Haley Shuman, 27, has been baking and making pastries for over a decade.

The new spot will serve desserts, savory plates, cocktails and local beverages.

In college, Haley Shuman whipped up a business concept for a bakery and bar called Halo’s for a class assignment. Now, her plans are becoming a reality as Caramel Bakery and Bar shapes up to open on Park Avenue next month.

Shuman, 27, has been baking since she was a teen — as one of six children in an Italian family, “everything revolved around food,” she said.

The Webster native studied baking and pastry making in college, and strengthened her skills at several local spots after school, including the now-closed Diamond Delights Bakery in Webster and the Joseph A. Floreano Riverside Convention Center.

More recently, she participated in the Epilepsy Foundation’s Chocolate Ball for several years in a row — the dessert competition pits local pastry chefs against each other to concoct chocolate delights to win the favor of a judging panel and gala attendees. This year, Shuman won both the people’s choice award and took second place for taste for an Alice in Wonderland-themed cake.

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Haley Shuman, 27, of Penfield, will open Caramel Bakery and Bar on Park Avenue in mid-September with boyfriend Mark Mendola, 28.(Photo11: Sarah Taddeo/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)

She operated a dessert catering business called Crave for a year before talking to business experts about drawing up a business plan for a brick-and-mortar dessert spot. With her Halo’s concept from school, she’d conceived a late-night bakery — “I thought, ‘How cool would that be?’” she said.

Once her business plan for Caramel was done, business consultants encouraged her to start looking for a space.

“I’m 27...I’m not getting any younger,” said Shuman. “I didn’t want to be in my 60s and asking, ‘Why didn’t I do it?’”

She and her boyfriend Mark Mendola, 28, wanted a location with extreme foot traffic, and they settled on the old Pontillo’s Pizzeria location, near the intersection of Park Avenue and Berkeley Street.

Mendola came on board to handle Caramel’s beverage side, and to construct integral parts of the space, like the bar and tables. The walls are a deep teal, which will be accented with gold, white wood and a large mural in the walk-in bar area. The space will include outdoor seating, a front dessert case with quick bites, and a back dining room.

The menu includes confections such as chai spiced cheesecake with fresh figs and salted caramel, and chocolate mousse with a peanut butter ice cream topped with popcorn, all made with house ingredients, said Shuman. Caramel will also offer savory items such as focaccia and crostini plates and charcuterie, and a small brunch menu offering sumptuous waffles, French toast and panini.

The slate of beverages will include house-imagined cocktails, local craft beers and a wine list. Food items will be paired with beverage recommendations on the menu, to “take the guesswork out of it” for guests, she said.

The two worked a pop-up dessert tent outside the Park Avenue space for the Park Ave Summer Art Festival, and customer after customer expressed interest in both the bakery and Shuman’s desserts, she said.